How to Complete the Denmark Marriage Application

Most international couples who want to marry in Denmark must first apply for a Certificate of Marital Status from the Danish Agency of Family Law. The application checks whether you meet the legal conditions for marriage and determines which documents are required from your answers.

This guide explains how the digital application is structured, what both partners should prepare and which mistakes commonly cause avoidable delays. The form can change, so always follow the wording and upload instructions shown in the live application.

What Is a Certificate of Marital Status?

The Certificate of Marital Status, called a prøvelsesattest in Danish, confirms that the authority has examined whether the couple meets the conditions for marriage. When the application is approved for a wedding in Denmark, the certificate is normally sent to the selected marriage authority.

It is valid for a maximum of four months from the date of issue. The validity may be shorter if a passport, visa, residence permit or other basis for lawful stay expires sooner.

If the wedding does not take place before the certificate expires, the couple normally needs to apply again, upload the documents again and pay a new fee.

Before You Open the Digital Form

Have the following information ready for both partners:

•      Full legal name;

•      Date and place of birth

•      Current and previous nationalities

•      Current address and country of residence

•      Separate email address and mobile number

•      Passport or EU identity card details

•      Visa, residence permit or EU registration details

•      Previous-marriage information

•      Relationship dates and contact history where relevant

•      Details of children you have together

•      Municipality

Prepare all files before you start. The official form estimates that completing both partners' parts takes approximately 30 minutes when everything is ready.

MitID or Email Login

If you have MitID, the official instructions say that you must use it. If you do not have MitID, the digital form guides you through creating a user profile with your email address.

The person who first logs in becomes Party 1. That person must complete the Party 1 fields with their own information. Do not log in with one partner's account and enter the other partner as Party 1.

Each partner must use a different email address and mobile number. The contact details connect the two parts of the application and allow Party 2 to receive the invitation to complete and sign their section.

Draft Saving and Submission Deadlines

The application saves entries automatically while you work. The form states that an unfinished draft can normally be resumed within 30 days. Selecting “Cancel” may remove the entries and uploaded documents.

This draft-saving period should not be confused with the case deadline after the application process has started. The Agency's processing information states that the case can be closed if both partners' parts are not received within 14 days after the application is started. Complete the two parts close together rather than relying on the longer draft period.

Step 1: Instructions and Language

Select English in the top menu if needed. Read the introductory information before continuing. It explains:

•      How the two-party application works

•      Which documents to prepare

•      Passport-image standards

•      The maximum four-month validity period

•      The fee and refund rules

•      The current EES documentation requirements for non-EU travellers.

Step 2: Choose Nationalities and Danish Address Status

For each partner, select the relevant nationality category:

•      Denmark or another Nordic country;

•      EU/EEA

•      Another country.

Then identify whether each partner has a registered address in Denmark. These answers control which later sections appear. A couple with two EU citizens will not see the same travel and relationship questions as a couple with one or two non-EU citizens.

List previous nationalities when the form requests them. Do not omit a nationality because the passport is no longer current if the question asks whether you previously held it.

Step 3: Enter Party 1's Personal Information

Enter the information exactly as shown in the official records:

•      First and last names

•      CPR number if applicable

•      Date of birth

•      Separate phone number and email address

•      Current address, postal code, city and country

•      Danish immigration identification number if applicable

•      Country and city or parish of birth.

Check the spelling before moving on. If the passport uses several given names, include them. If the current name differs from an older divorce or residence document, prepare official evidence connecting the names.

Step 4: State the Basis for Residence or Legal Stay

The form adapts to the selected nationality and residence situation. A non-EU applicant may need to choose a basis such as:

•      A visa

•      A residence permit

•      Visa-exempt travel

•      Another accepted legal basis

Enter the relevant document number and validity dates accurately. If you are currently in Schengen, the form may request the entry date and supporting evidence.

From 10 April 2026, the Agency's instructions distinguish between travel before and after the EES cut-off. Depending on the situation, the form may require:

•      A visa sticker

•      Both the data and result pages from the EES visa calculator

•      Flight tickets or boarding passes

•      A physical entry stamp for earlier travel

•      A valid Schengen residence permit.

Upload the combination shown for your situation. A visa sticker alone may not be enough under the current post-cut-off instructions.

Step 5: Add the Travel Document

An applicant can use a passport. An EU citizen may instead be able to use an EU national identity card.

For a passport, enter:

•      Passport number

•      Issuing country

•      Issue date

•      Expiry date

Upload colour images of:

•      Front cover

•      Back cover

•      Inside of the front cover

•      Inside of the back cover

•      Personal-data page from clear angles

•      Every visa or stamp page

•      Every blank page.

For an EU identity card, upload both sides in colour. Make sure all corners and edges are visible.

The official guidance recommends photographing the documents directly rather than scanning them, using even lighting and the highest practical resolution. Do not upload live-photo files from Iphone, screenshots or compressed copies from a messaging app.

Step 6: Answer Previous-Marriage Questions

The form asks whether the applicant has previously been married or in a registered partnership. If the answer is yes, expect questions about:

•      Whether it was a marriage or registered partnership

•      The former partner's name, date of birth and nationality

•      The date the marriage or partnership began

•      The date it ended

•      Whether it ended by divorce, death or annulment

•      The country where the decision or event was registered

Upload the final divorce decree, death certificate or annulment document in its original language together with an authorised translation into Danish, English or German when needed.

The document may need an apostille or full legalisation based on the issuing country. It should identify the relevant former marriage and show that the termination is final.

Step 7: Answer the General Marriage Conditions

The application asks about circumstances that can affect the right to marry, including:

•      Guardianship or loss of legal capacity

•      Close family relationships

•      Certain relationships created by a previous marriage

•      Adoption relationships between the partners.

Answer truthfully. If guardianship applies, a consent form may be required. Unusual family relationships can require specific permission or legal assessment.

Step 8: Complete the Relationship Section

The relationship section shown depends on the couple's answers. It may ask:

•      When you became a couple

•      Whether you have children together

•      Whether you have shared an address continuously for at least six months

•      Which language you use together

•      Whether you first met online

•      When and where you first met in person

•      How many times you have met

•      How often you meet and communicate

•      How you met.

Answer dates and history consistently in both partners' sections. If you do not remember an exact day, do not invent one. Use the closest truthful information allowed by the form and explain where necessary.

Step 9: Upload Relationship Evidence When Requested

Depending on the answers, the form may request a selection of:

•      Photographs covering the relationship, with original dates visible

•      Correspondence from the beginning of contact to the present, with dates visible

•      Joint travel or travel relating to visits

•      A short written account of how you met

•      Evidence of a shared address

•      Birth certificates for children you have together.

The official form refers to photo evidence covering no more than the previous three years. Select representative material from different periods. You do not need to upload every message or photograph you have.

A useful relationship file is chronological, dated and easy to follow. A confusing mass of undated screenshots can make a genuine relationship harder, not easier, to understand.

Step 10: Choose the Wedding Type and Municipality

The application asks how you intend to marry. Options may include:

•      Civil marriage at a town hall;

•      Church wedding;

•      A recognised religious community

•      Marriage abroad.

For a civil wedding, choose the preferred municipality. The Certificate of Marital Status is normally sent to the selected marriage authority after approval.

Selecting a municipality in the form does not guarantee that your preferred date is available. Check the municipality's booking procedure separately. If you later want to change municipalities, a transfer may be required and can add time.

Step 11: Complete the Section 11b Declaration if Applicable

The Section 11b declaration concerns knowledge of the Danish family-reunification rules. It can apply when one partner has a residence basis connected to Danish or Nordic citizenship or permanent residence in Denmark and the other partner only has a temporary basis for staying in Denmark.

It is generally not required when:

•      Both partners only have temporary residence grounds

•      Both partners have Danish/Nordic or qualifying residence grounds

•      The non-Danish/Nordic partner is an EU/EEA citizen covered by EU free-movement rules

Signing the declaration confirms that you have familiarised yourselves with the rules. It does not mean that you give up the right to apply for family reunification.

Step 12: Read and Sign the Solemn Declaration

Each partner must confirm that the information and supporting documents are true and correct. False or misleading information can have legal consequences.

Read the declaration before ticking the box and signing. If you do not use MitID, follow the live form's signature instructions exactly.

Step 13: Party 2 Completes Their Section

Party 2 receives an email link and uses their own contact details to access the second part. Party 2 should:

•      Check the shared application information

•      Enter their personal, residence and travel details

•      Upload their own identification and supporting documents

•      Answer the relationship questions consistently

•      Sign and submit their declaration.

Check the spam folder if the invitation does not appear promptly. Do not start a duplicate paid application before confirming whether the first link is delayed or blocked.

Step 14: Pay the Government Fee

The official fee is DKK 2,100 (282 Euro) in 2026. It is paid through the digital application using an accepted payment method.

The fee covers processing of the case. The Agency will not begin its assessment until the payment is registered, and the fee is not refundable after the application has been submitted. If a new application becomes necessary later, a new fee may be due.

Save the payment receipt together with the application confirmation.

Step 15: What Happens After Submission?

The Agency needs four things before it can issue the certificate:

1.    Both partners' application parts

2.    Registered payment of the fee

3.    All necessary information and documents

4.    Confirmation that the couple meets the marriage conditions.

As a general rule, the Agency states that a complete case can receive a Certificate of Marital Status within five working days. This is not a guaranteed deadline for every application.

If documents are missing or the case requires further assessment, the Agency may request additional information. That review can take substantially longer. Reply through the requested channel and provide only the information asked for, clearly labelled.

Common Application Mistakes

•      Entering one partner as Party 1 while logged in with the other partner's email account.

•      Using the same email address or mobile number for both partners.

•      Uploading only the passport data page instead of every page and cover.

•      Cutting off document edges or uploading images with glare.

•      Using screenshots or iPhone live photos.

•      Omitting the original-language document when a translation is included.

•      Forgetting to translate the apostille, stamps or legalisation pages.

•      Uploading a divorce decision that does not show finality.

•      Giving different relationship dates in the two partners' sections.

•      Submitting large quantities of undated relationship material without structure.

•      Assuming that marriage approval or pending case extends lawful stay.

•      Choosing a municipality without checking ceremony availability.

•      Booking non-refundable travel before the ceremony is confirmed.

Let Copenhagen Weddings Handle the Application

The form is designed for couples to complete themselves, but conditional questions can make it difficult to know which evidence is necessary and how it should be presented. Copenhagen Weddings can prepare a personal document list, review file quality, complete or guide the application and coordinate the next steps with the marriage authority, depending on the service you choose.

Tell us both nationalities, countries of residence, previous marital status, children, shared-address history and preferred wedding period. We will help you identify what applies before the fee is paid and the application is submitted.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can one partner complete the whole application?

Each partner must use their own login or invitation, provide their own information and sign their own declaration. A representative can apply with a valid power of attorney, but the authority's formal requirements still apply.

How long does the form take?

The official estimate is approximately 30 minutes in total for both partners when all documents are prepared. A first-time applicant should allow extra time to review uploads and conditional questions.

How long do we have to complete both parts?

The Agency states that the case may close if it has not received both parts within 14 days after the application started. Complete both parts as close together as possible.

Can we change the municipality after approval?

It may be possible, but the approval may need to be transferred to the new marriage authority. Confirm the process and availability before changing plans.

Is approval guaranteed in five working days?

No. Five working days is the general guideline for a complete case when both partners have submitted, the fee is registered, no information is missing and the marriage conditions are met.